Daily Loaf

Start the new year the eco-friendly way by greening your New Year’s Eve bash. (Plus, it’d be a great way to start your green resolutions.) Take a look at these easy tips, some of which are inexpensive and even free.

Invitations:
This one is simple: make your own invitations online with Evite or on Facebook. They’ll get to your guests quicker than snail mail and, best of all, they’re free! (I also suggest using SomeEcards for their offbeat and humorous e-cards.)

Eating/Serving:
Buy inexpensive flatware, plates, and serving pieces. You’ll then have them in your arsenal for future parties. IKEA always has great deals on inexpensive and unique serving ware (i.e.: their Svalka champagne flutes- $4.99/6-pk), or you could even check your local dollar or party supply stores.

Alternately, you could also purchase biodegradable and compostable plates and silverware. Some brands to look out for: Aspenware, TerraWare, and World Centric, check your local Whole Foods Market or natural foods store, or buy them online from biodegradablestore.com or greenpartygoods.com. If you’re having a big gathering, go ahead and rent everything from plates and flatware to table linens and napkins from a local rental supply store.
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Disclaimer: I am not a wine aficionado — I can be pretty picky, and I might have a bias against some styles. Don’t completely take my word for it here — get out there, try your own organic wines, and find your new favorites!

Being green doesn’t mean you have to give up your vices. Organic wines are growing in popularity, and that means there’s more variety for you to enjoy your sweet, sweet vino without feeling any green guilt.

The requirements for earning the title of “organic” differ from country to country, but here in the United States, it essentially means that no fertilizers or pesticides are used on the farmlands, and no sulfites have been added to preserve what’s inside the bottles.

The real fun is in wines produced through biodynamic farming. Based on the principles of the late Austrian scientist Rudolf Steiner, biodynamics use animals for pest control and fertilizer, just like with organic farming. But here, planting and harvesting are based around the moon cycles, as well. The Emiliana wine family took its three best vineyards and converted them to organic and biodynamic farming, and Emiliana Organico in Chile’s Valle Colchagua is a prime example of a biodynamic farm. Chickens eat bugs and crap out natural fertilizer. Ladybugs fly around to also control insect pests. Llamas and ducks even plod around the vineyard, chewing up weeds and providing yet more fertilizer. Read the rest of this entry »